Hold Each Other
by emjem18
Summary: When Alex is rushed to the hospital, Cat Grant was the person Kara least expected to be there for her.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a two parter! Also, my first time writing Cat Grant which was terrifying and exciting. The second part should hopefully be up soon!**

"Come on, come on, come on."

Kara had exactly seven minutes and fourteen seconds to order Ms. Grant's latte, run three blocks to CatCo, and be at her desk with prints in hand. Normally, she had fourteen minutes to do all that but since she decided to watch yet another episode of Orphan Black, her nightly routine was thrown off and she was in bed two hours later than the normal time. So really, it was her fault…but it was also kind of the slow barista's fault and the people who had no idea what to order's fault. How could someone possibly wait in line for close to ten minutes and have no idea what to order?!

"Kiera!"

No, no, no. She had to be hearing things. That could not be Cat Grant's angry voice floating through the crowded Starbucks. Kara shook her head and adjusted her glasses, taking a large step forward when someone tried to cut in front of her.

"I was here!" she said politely when the man tried yet again to sidestep his way in the insufferably long line.

"I have places to be!"

"Well, so do I!" Kara fought back.

"Kiera! I have been yelling your name for thirty seconds. Have you gone deaf since I last saw you?"

Kara's eyes widened so much, she looked like a cartoon character. She reluctantly spun around and came face to face with her boss. "Ms. Grant! What are you doing here? I, I'm so close to getting your latte."

Beneath her large, bug-eyed sunglasses, Cat rolled her eyes. "Forget about the latte, Kiera. Come with me please."

Kara felt like a child again as she stepped out of line and followed Cat out of Starbucks with her head tilted down toward the floor. "I wasn't going to be late, I swear! I overslept because I decided to stay up way past my bedtime and it threw everything off. Please don't fire me!"

"Stop. Stop talking," Cat demanded with a flip of her hand. She lowered her sunglasses a bit and watched her assistant shut her mouth rather quickly. "I received a call from a man that works with your sister. He had a rather deep, Morgan Freeman-esque voice. Is he single?"

"Um, Ms. Grant, I don't…is my sister okay?" She double checked her phone and felt her heart nearly leap out of her throat when there were eight missed calls from Hank.

Cat's features softened at the break in Kara's voice. "From what I gathered, your sister collapsed at work. She's in the hospital."

Kara's first instinct was to cry. But since Cat was absolutely against her employees showing any emotion in front of her, she bit her lip and stood up straighter. "I, I don't understand. Alex is always careful at work. What happened?"

"I don't know, Kiera. I'm not a secretary," Cat sighed in annoyance. "Something about her appendix rupturing."

"What, what does that mean? That doesn't sound good! Is she going to die?"

"Kiera!" Cat snapped. "Stop the babbling. Come with me and Raul will drive us to the hospital."

 _Us?_

Kara could get to National City Hospital in thirty seconds flat. Traveling in a car right during rush hour would take at least fifteen to twenty minutes.

"No, Ms. Grant, that's okay," Kara began nervously, shaking her head. "It's probably faster if I walk."

"Nonsense," Cat argued curtly. She peered down at Kara's feet in disgust. "You can't run in those cheap shoes. Come on. In you go."

Kara let Cat push her in the luxurious white limo and climbed to the far side of the window. She put on her seat belt and placed her elbows on her knees to desperately try and get them to stop shaking so much. She felt Cat staring at her.

"Look, I'm sure your sister will be just fine," Cat said dully. She rolled the partition down halfway. "Raul, take us to National City Hospital. Take the back roads and if you even think about stopping at a yellow light, you're fired."

Raul didn't even get a chance to respond as Cat quickly rolled the partition back up.

"Text that handsome hobbit Quinn and let him know that both you and I will be out of the office today. God help me for saying this, but he's in charge."

Kara swallowed past the lump in her throat. "Ms. Grant, you don't need to come with me. I'm fine. I'll be fine."

"The lilt in your voice tells me otherwise, Kiera," Cat said simply, her eyes never leaving the compact mirror she was looking in to apply her lipstick. "Do it. Now."

Kara shakily pulled out her phone and texted Winn some long winded message about Alex, Cat and the hospital. There were a lot of typos and ridiculous auto corrects but it was the last thing on her mind. Winn would figure it out. After all, he did go to Yale.

They arrived at the hospital in less than ten minutes. Kara was quite impressed.

"Thank you," Kara whispered to Raul when he opened the door and helped her out of the car. "And thank you for not hitting that fat squirrel when he came out of nowhere. He probably had a family to feed."

Raul laughed and titled his head. "Good luck with your sister, Ms. Danvers."

Kara nodded in thanks and stared at Cat in confusion when she clambered out of the same side of the car. "No, Raul, I'm fine."

Raul helped Cat steady herself on the ground. "Let's go, Kiera."

"Ms. Grant, you don't need-"

"Raul, I'll call you when I need you. Shoo."

Kara trailed behind Cat when they entered the stuffy emergency room. She could see the look of disgust on her boss' face when their ears were assaulted with crying babies and disgusting coughs.

"That's a crack cough, Kiera," Cat staged whispered to Kara as she held on to her forearm. "Don't make eye contact with anyone. Got it?"

"Y-yes, Ms. Grant," Kara stuttered as Cat's grip on her arm only tightened. She reveled in the comfort and felt her eyes watering once they reached the front desk of the ER.

"How can I help you?"

Cat sprang into action. "We're looking for a Danvers. And I can assure you; my assistant and I are not going to dwell with these hypochondriacs and drug addicts so please escort us to a more private area of your hospital before I write a scathing review about the uncleanliness of your waiting room in my magazine. Thank you."

The nurse was stunned. All Kara could do was laugh nervously and quicken her pace when Cat stomped forward in her sky-high heels. They followed the plump nurse in the elevator up three floors and around a corner or two.

"Here you are. Ms. Grant," the nurse stammered, afraid to make eye contact.

Cat took her sunglasses off. "Thank you," she said genuinely. This was more to her liking and she wouldn't have to breathe the same air as the poor folk downstairs. She cleared her throat. "What is your sister's name, Kiera?"

"Alex. Alex Danvers."

Cat stared at the nurse's name tag and frowned when it was Mildred. "Now, go find out everything you can on Alex Danvers and report back to us immediately. Understand, Millie?"

Kara began to pace when the nurse nodded and quickly scampered away.

"Kiera, no pacing. Sit."

"Honestly, Ms. Grant, you, you don't have to stay with me," Kara tried to argue yet again but knew it was pointless when Cat wasn't even listening.

"Do you need to call your foster mother?"

"N-no, she lives in Metropolis. She'd need to get a last minute flight and it's, it's too expensive. She's a retired scientist. She's not exactly rolling in the dough if you know what I mean. I can handle it."

"Hush, Kiera," Cat commanded. She pulled out her cell phone to make some arrangements. "Call your mother and tell her to get to the Metropolis airport at ten, okay? I'm going to arrange for a jet to pick her up."

"Ms. Grant-"

"Kiera!" Cat yelled. "Beneath the large block of ice in my chest, I do have a heart and I am how you so commonly put it, _rolling in the dough_. Call your foster mother and tell her what is going on with your sister."

"R-right," Kara stuttered when Cat got up to make a phone call. She pulled out her cell phone and quickly dialed Eliza, frowning when she didn't pick up. "Eliza? Eliza, it's me. It's Kara. Alex…Alex is in the hospital and I'm really scared. Please, please call me back."

Kara knew she couldn't hold in her tears any longer. She took off her glasses, not caring if anyone could see her, and sobbed quietly into her hands.

"Ms. Danvers?"

Kara ignored whoever was calling her name and sucked in a deep breath.

"Ms. Danvers. Look at me." It was Hank. "It's going to be okay."

Kara finally looked up and felt a new batch of tears in her eyes when she saw Hank looking down at her in concern. She stood up and launched herself at the larger man, and held on tight.

"Alex is a fighter," Hank whispered. "She's going to be okay."

"I don't understand," Kara whispered back. "Alex is always careful at work! How could, how could she get hurt?"

"Sometimes the appendix can just rupture," Hank explained with a slight chuckle. "It isn't something you can exactly prevent. It's a routine surgery."

Kara just shook her head. "She can't be hurt. Alex, Alex never gets hurt."

"Ms. Danvers, it's all going to be okay. Would I lie to you?"

Kara didn't know how to answer that. Instead, she held on to the lapels of Hank's faux FBI jacket and whimpered quite audibly. She felt like a child as Hank tried to pull her arms off.

"Excuse me!" Cat's sharp voice came from behind. "Sir, why are your hands jostling my assistant like she's some sort of rag doll? Please remove them before I call security."

"No! No," Kara yelled. "This is my sister's boss."

"We spoke on the phone," Hank said, extending his hand to Cat to shake.

Cat immediately smirked. "That we did." She looked Hank up and down in satisfaction. "Have you ever considered a career in radio? You don't have the looks for television but your voice is…divine."

"I'm quite happy at the FBI, ma'am."

"Fine, fine," Cat said dismissively as she sat back down. Then, it clicked. "Wait a minute. Agent Monroe, is that you?"

Hank cleared his throat. "Yes, Ms. Grant."

"I didn't recognize you at first. In this harsh hospital light you look like a poor man's Idris Elba."

"That's a compliment," Kara stood on her tiptoes to whisper in Hank's ear.

"He's a good looking man," Hank said after a minute.

Kara bit her lip to stop laughing.

"Yeah, well, I didn't say you had his body," Cat mumbled, turning her attention back to her cell phone. "Kiera, what did your foster mother say? Carl is on his way to pick her up. I've called the Metropolis airport and they are expecting him."

"She didn't pick up," Kara explained softly "I'll try again."

Hank patted Kara's back and led her to a chair. "I'll go get some coffee from the cafeteria. Do you want anything, Ms. Grant?"

"Nothing from a hospital cafeteria, Agent Monroe," Cat gasped dramatically, placing her hand over her heart. "I _will_ take a latte from the Starbucks three blocks down. Chop, chop!"

Kara sent Hank a thankful smile when he opted not to fight back. She sighed and slumped down in the chair, counting the polka dots on her skirt. "Alex hates hospitals," she found herself blurting out of nowhere. "She doesn't trust doctors."

"That makes two of us," Cat mumbled as she perused the latest pdf files of the magazine Winn had emailed her.

"The only doctor she'd ever trust to operate on her is Derek Shepherd," Kara giggled, frowning when Cat didn't even react.

After an awkward five minutes of silence, Cat looked up from her phone. "Derek Shepherd's a neurosurgeon. He wouldn't even be assigned to your sister's case. Honestly, Kiera. Keep up."

"Oh. I, I never knew you were a Grey's Anatomy fan, Ms. Grant."

"Yes, well, I needed something to occupy me while I was nine months pregnant with Carter and on bed rest. It's no Ally McBeal, but it was still entertaining."

"I don't know what Ally McBeal is."

Cat sighed. "I get it, Kiera. You're young. Stop reminding me."

"Sorry, Ms. Grant," Kara continued to giggle, momentarily forgetting that this was her boss and they were in the hospital waiting for Alex to come out of surgery.

"The incompetency of this hospital is astounding," Cat began to complain once she looked at her watch. They had been at there for almost two hours now and nothing was said about Alex. "Wait here. I'm going to find out what's going on with your sister."

Kara didn't exactly know why Cat cared so much about Alex. But it was comforting. With Eliza still MIA, she needed a mother figure. Whether it was Ms. Grant's intention or not, Kara felt at ease. She felt safe.

"Now, tell my assistant what you told me." Cat returned with an uncomfortable looking doctor who looked like he was running on three hours of sleep.

Kara stood up and braced herself for the worst. The doctor's face was soft and full of concern. "My, my sister's okay, right? She's fine. That's what, please tell me she's okay."

"Ms. Danvers, I presume?" When Kara nodded, he continued. "I'm Dr. Brown. I didn't operate on your sister but my colleague that did said there was some complications."

Kara felt unsteady. She closed her eyes and tried to keep herself together. It was hard when she automatically assumed the worst. "What do you mean?"

"Yes, Dr. Brown. What do you mean?" Cat seethed. "A burst appendix is a routine procedure. Trust me, I would know. I got my appendix out when I was fifteen and there were no complications. If any of you idiots had one shred of common sense-"

"Ms. Grant!" Kara found herself yelling. "Please! Please let him explain."

"Because your sister's appendix already burst before we were able to operate, she runs the risk for an infection that may spread through the abdomen. We're monitoring her closely."

"Can, can I see her?"

Cat stood up taller when the doctor shook his head. "Well, why not?"

"She's still in recovery-"

"But I need to see her!" Kara pleaded. She could no longer keep her tears at bay. She needed to see Alex for herself and make sure she was okay. "You have to let me see her."

Dr. Brown shook his head. "Not for another few hours, Ms. Danvers. Your sister's in good hands. I promise."

"Doubt it," Cat scoffed under her breath. "Unless you have more upsetting news for my assistant please leave my line of vision before I take that stethoscope and-"

Kara let out a strangled sob and backed herself into the corner of the empty waiting room. She hugged herself tightly and slumped down on the floor, forgetting all about her boss.

Cat sighed at the sight of her young assistant looking so hopeless, so fractured, so frail. She kicked off her high heels and went against everything she stood for when it came to the relationship she shared with her employees. She bent down and enveloped Kara in the tightest hug her body could muster. She ran her fingers through the young girl's hair and told her it was going to be okay. She gently rocked her back and forth much like she did for Carter when he got nightmares about his father taking him away.

Kara's sobs began to increase. They echoed off the walls and bellowed loudly in Cat's ear. It was the most heartbreaking sound she'd ever heard. She felt helpless, worthless. Kara couldn't bring herself to hug Cat back. Instead, she clutched her hands into fists and tried to curb all of her anger and frustration. If she opened her eyes, they'd be flashing blue. She'd expose herself.

"Kiera, go home and get some rest," Cat all but demanded. She abruptly pulled away from her assistant and stood up, slipping her shoes back on. "Take the rest of the week off."

Kara wiped her eyes with the back of her pink cardigan. "I'm not going anywhere."

"While I appreciate your ferocity and loyalty to your government working sister, I demand you go home to rest. It's for the best."

"Ms. Grant, please," Kara rasped, her voice barely above a whisper. "We're not at work. You can't…you can't boss me around."

Hank rounded the corner just in time. Cat simply grabbed her latte from the tray and took a long sip. She frowned when it was lukewarm. "Agent Monroe, please tell Kiera she needs to go home and rest."

"I agree with Ms. Grant."

"Of course," Kara mumbled. She was not happy when Hank pulled her to her feet. She had to keep calm. She had to breathe. "I am not a child!"

"Kiera, nobody thinks you're a child," Cat said with an eye roll. "But if you continue to argue petulantly one might think you are."

Hank kept a firm grip on Kara's elbow. "I'll drive you home Ms. Danvers," Hank said gruffly when Kara tried to break away. "Thank you for your assistance, Ms. Grant."

"Gladly," Cat said, slipping her sunglasses on. "I'll check in with you later, Kiera."

"Let me go!" Kara yelled a little louder than expected. "Now. Let me go!"

"Ms. Danvers, calm yourself," Hank whispered as Kara thrashed helplessly in his strong grip. "You need to take a breath."

"I don't care!" Kara continued to scream. "I don't care." She tried hitting Hank's chest repeatedly to be set free but it was useless. She was so distraught that her super strength had seemed to diminish. "I need Alex. I need to see Alex."

"And you will," Hank promised. "But carrying on like this is not going to help. Alex wouldn't want you worrying like this."

Kara knew Hank was right but she couldn't let the image of Alex dying leave her mind. She was stable. She was going to be fine. But still, there was a tiny voice in her head that kept telling her Alex was not going to make it, that Alex was going to die and leave her just like her parents did. Just like Jeremiah did.

"Go home," Hank encouraged one last time, pulling back and letting Kara stand on her own. She was dazed, very much confused. "Now."

Kara was tired of arguing. She rubbed her blotchy eyes and closed them when they began to sting.

"I'll call you when you're allowed to see her," Hank said as if he could read Kara's mind. He sat down in one of the chairs and pulled out his cell phone. "I'm not going anywhere, Ms. Danvers."

"P-promise?"

Hank smiled. "I promise."


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate them :) Hope you enjoy the ending!**

Alex woke up in a daze, slowly opening one eye to figure out where she was. She groaned when she realized she was in National City Hospital, covered in thin blankets that vaguely smelled like old people.

"Hello, Ms. Danvers. How are you feeling?" A very, very attractive male nurse named Brian strolled in the room with a toothy smile.

"Huh?" It took Alex a minute to answer. "Oh. I'm fine. A little sore."

"This should help."

Alex couldn't help but smile as the nurse gently injected pain meds into her IV.

"See? You feel better already, don't you?"

"Oh yeah," Alex sighed wistfully. She propped herself up a bit and flipped through the same boring ten channels the hospital had. "What time is it?"

"It's almost six," the nurse said. "Let me know if you need anything, Ms. Danvers."

"I will," Alex whispered, nodding in satisfaction as she watched Brian's backside sway back and forth as he walked out of the room.

There was nothing on TV except for the news and obnoxious reruns of King of Queens. Alex sighed and settled on some game show from the 80's and frowned at the poor quality on the television set. She tried to find a comfortable position to lie in but it was almost impossible since she could only rest on her back.

Her mind began to wander about Kara, wondering if her sister was okay. Alex rarely got hurt and the younger girl was probably worried sick. She needed her. She needed Kara to see she was okay.

"Alex?"

Alex let her head fall to the left and motioned for Hank to come in. "Hi."

"You're alive."

"I feel like I've been hit by a truck," Alex confessed with a laugh. She threaded the blanket through her fingers and muted the television. The corny jokes were giving her a headache. "But other than that, I'm fine."

Hank smiled and took a step further in the room. "I'm glad to hear. Your sister was worried."

"I'm half expecting her to be levitating outside my window," Alex chuckled.

"She tried to. I caught her two hours after I sent her home. I threatened to contain her at the DEO this weekend if she didn't stay put," Hank said with a slight shrug. Alex grinned at his fatherly tone. "Cat Grant tried to get her to go home as well."

"Cat Grant? As in her boss Cat Grant?"

"Yes. Ms. Grant stayed with her until we sent her home."

"I'm sorry," Alex began slowly. "Did I wake up in an alternate universe? Cat Grant, the woman who makes my sister's life a living hell, _stayed_ with her?"

"Hard to believe," Hank chuckled. "And she arranged for a plane to get your mother from Metropolis."

"Oh my god," Alex groaned. "Seriously. Am I having an episode? Did something go wrong during the surgery and now I'm imagining things? How do I wake up? These are signs of a brain tumor!"

"Unfortunately your sister could not get ahold of your mother," Hank continued, his voice dropping to a whisper. He decided not to entertain Alex's dramatics and carried on. "Do you want me to try and call her?"

"God, no," Alex groaned. "I'll call her later. Or in a few days. The less she knows, the better. Trust me."

"If you're sure."

Alex nodded. "I am. Besides, she'll somehow blame me for upsetting Kara. You know, it will be _my_ fault because I should _know_ when my inner organs are going to rupture."

"Alex-"

"Right, right," Alex mumbled. "I'm just a little loopy from the pain meds. I'll behave." She fiddled with the IV in her arm and sighed.

"You said three minutes! And it's been four and a half so I'm coming in!" Kara's voice preceded her before she dramatically stomped into the room. "And I heard what you said about me! I was _not_ trying to levitate outside of Alex's window."

Hank just shook his head and stepped aside before Kara, not exactly intimidating in a pair of cupcake pajamas that made her look twelve, could knock him over.

"Take it easy, Alex," Hank commanded gently. "Rest up. Don't worry about us at the DEO." He turned to Kara knowingly. "Make sure she doesn't strain herself too much, Ms. Danvers. I know she will. You're in charge."

Kara giggled and adjusted her glasses. "Hear that? _I'm_ in charge, Alex!" She scanned her sister over and fiddled with the sleeves of her pajama shirt. "I just want to say I told you so."

"What?" Alex shared a confused glance with Hank.

"I went home and googled appendicitis," Kara began, strategically placing her hands on her hips to look more authoritative. It wasn't really working given her choice of attire. "Your appendix can rupture 24-72 hours _after_ symptoms first appear. Which means the other night when you came over and got a stomachache it wasn't because of period cramps. It was your appendix!"

"Kara!" Alex hissed in embarrassment She couldn't bear to look her boss in the face.

Kara gasped and sheepishly turned around to face Hank apologetically. "Oops."

"That's my cue," Hank said after a pause. "Let me know if you girls need anything."

"I can't believe you said that in front of my boss," Alex groaned as she draped her arm over her eyes. The sun was beginning to set and visiting hours were over soon. Kara was not going to leave. She knew it.

"I didn't mean to," Kara said defensively, jutting out her bottom lip. "It just slipped out."

"You have no filter."

Kara sighed and dragged a chair over to sit at Alex's bedside. "You scared me."

"I'm sorry," Alex whispered sympathetically. She desperately wanted to wrap Kara in a hug to ease her mind but it wasn't possible since she could barely feel her body. Instead, she helplessly leaned back in bed and watched her sister's bottom lip quiver.

"I thought you were going to die."

"Really?" Alex couldn't help but laugh at the dread on Kara's face. "I'm sorry, Kara, but I have no control over my organs."

Kara stared down at her feet. "The doctor said there was complications…I thought…"

"The worst, I know. I know you," Alex finished for her sister softly. "Kara, look. Look at me."

"I, I don't want to." Kara kept her eyes on the white tiled floor, gently scuffing her Ugg boots against the cracks.

"I'm fine, Kara. I'm going to be fine. Okay? You can't get rid of me that quickly."

Kara finally looked up and sniffled, wiping her eyes with the back of her pajama sleeve. She couldn't control her emotions. "You're the most important person in my life. I don't know…I don't know what I would do without you. I was so worried."

"Hah, now you know how I feel every time you put on that cape," Alex scoffed lightly, hoping Kara could pick up on her joking tone. When she didn't, she frowned. "Kara, come on. It was a joke. You're supposed to laugh."

"But I'm…I'm indestructible. You're not, Alex!"

Alex sat up the best she could and closed her eyes. "Okay, Kara. I'm sorry. I get it."

"It's fine," Kara mumbled, smoothing out the creases in her pajama bottoms. "Just don't do it again and I'll forgive you."

"I'll try my best," Alex said with a slight eye roll, pulling the blankets down a bit so Kara could climb in. "Come cuddle. I know you want to."

Kara was hesitant. She had to be extremely careful. "I don't want to hurt you with my stupid super strength."

"The hot nurse just gave me more pain meds," Alex laughed. "I can't feel a thing."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Alex promised, patting the small space next to her on the bed. "I can't take you seriously in those pajamas though. You look twelve."

Kara pouted as she kicked off her shoes and gently climbed into the bed, inserting herself between Alex and the bar of the hospital bed. She curled into the fetal position and gently rested her head on Alex's shoulder. "Shut up. I have to do laundry."

Alex smiled and used her left arm to rub Kara's arm to relax her. "So I heard Cat Grant stayed with you? Does she want to adopt you?"

"Stop," Kara giggled. "She was just being nice. It was odd and kind of terrifying at first but it was…comforting. I couldn't get ahold of Eliza. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about mom, okay?" Alex told Kara. "You know how she goes off the grid sometimes. I'll call her in a few days."

Kara nodded and suppressed a yawn. "It's been a long day. I'm tired."

"Oh, you're tired?" Alex snorted.

"I did a lot of waiting!" Kara protested. She took her glasses off and carelessly threw them on the table next to the bed. "I'm sleeping over."

Alex laughed. "I don't think so."

"The hospital will have to physically remove me from this bed," Kara argued tiredly. She shut her eyes and snuggled into Alex's shoulder. "So good luck to them."

Kara was asleep within minutes. Alex was relieved she didn't have to do so much coddling. She continued to stroke her sister's hair when Kara grabbed a fist of her hospital gown and held on. She really wasn't going anywhere.

Alex figured it was best to sleep as well. After all, the pain meds weren't going to last all night. She closed her eyes and shifted gently to the right to give Kara more room.

She was immediately awoken at the sound of expensive high heels clacking in the hallway and into her room.

"Are you Kiera's sister?"

Alex blinked, trying to figure out if she was seeing things. There was Cat Grant, standing in the middle of her hospital room, lips pursed and an interrogative stare firmly intact.

"Hello? Are you Kiera's sister?"

"Uh, yeah," Alex said in confusion.

"Alexa, right?"

"Sure."

"I just came to…see how you were doing," Cat said, her voice dropping to a whisper. She surveyed the tiny room with a frown and refused to sit. "I can only stay a minute. I just wanted to make sure Kiera was okay."

"Yeah, she's good," Alex nodded, gently patting Kara's back. "Obviously the day tired her out."

Cat could not hide the small smile tugging at her lips at the sight of her assistant curled into her sister's side on the bed. "Well, it certainly was a stressful day. I tried to arrange for a jet to pick up your mother but she was a no show."

"I'm sorry," Alex apologized uneasily. She knew Cat Grant was capable of anything. The older woman looked absolutely annoyed. "She's kind of like that. Can, can I pay you back for the plane? You know…over the next like fifteen years?"

"Nonsense," Cat said flippantly. She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "I don't want your government money."

"Okay," Alex laughed nervously. She looked at Cat awkwardly. "Can I get you anything?"

Cat simply stared at Alex like she had five heads. "Don't be ridiculous, Alexa. There is nothing you can get me from this dreaded hospital."

"Right."

"Anyway, since you and Kiera are okay, save for Kiera's choice of clothing, I'll be on my way." Cat left no room for Alex to protest. She turned on her heel but stopped when she got to the doorway.

"Ms. Grant?" Alex felt weird having this conversation with Kara next to her but the younger girl slept like the dead. There's no way she'd be able to hear. "Thank you."

"For?" Cat questioned in confusion. "Alexa, I don't have time to play 20 questions. What are you thanking me for?"

"Just for staying with her," Alex whispered.

"Well despite what your sister has told you about me," Cat began sharply, re-entering the room and sitting down in the chair across from Alex's bed. "I do…I do care about her. She's suffered a lot of loss in her life. You're important to her."

Cat continued, unsure why she felt compelled to have a heart to heart with her assistant's sister whom she was meeting for the first time. "I see the way her face lights up when she incessantly babbles about you. She thinks the world of you. And despite your questionable hair cut, I can see why."

Alex self-consciously ran a hand through her hair. "T-thank you."

"It's fine," Cat mumbled, sitting up straighter in the chair. She stared at Kara and grimaced when she heard a faint snore. "That's attractive."

"She doesn't believe me when I tell her she snores," Alex said matter-of-factly, patting Kara's head like a puppy. "You know, Kara came to live with us three days before my fifteenth birthday. All I wanted was a dog but my mom told me I didn't need a dog now that I had a little sister."

Cat didn't react. Alex just laughed awkwardly. "I still love her though."

"I had a sister, too," Cat said off handedly. "Elizabeth. She was three years older and I thought the world of her. Much like Kiera does of you."

"Oh, yeah?" Alex didn't know what to say. Did Kara know about this?

"She died when I was twelve," Cat continued with no emotion in her voice. "In a boating accident. My parents made me say goodbye to her in the hospital despite the fact she was damn near unrecognizable. I'll never forgive them for it."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Grant."

"I'm not telling you this to gain your sympathy, Alexa," Cat huffed.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

Cat shook her head. "Stop. Stop apologizing. You're just like your sister."

"Right," Alex said with a nod.

"The point I'm trying to make is," Cat began again; heavily annoyed Alex kept interrupting her with apology after apology. "You're all Kiera has. I know you have a mother who seems to be heavily unreliable and unappreciative of charity, but Kiera would be lost without you. And if she's lost, I lose my best employee. Don't tell her I said that."

"I won't," Alex promised. She wrapped her arm around Kara a bit tighter and held her sister closer, despite the stuff pain in her side. "My sister has a lot of respect for you, Ms. Grant. I never understood it. I mean, you treat her like dirt, but now I see why. You're not as heartless as I thought."

Cat titled her head to the side. "Well, as much as I would love to continue with this Full House heart to heart, I have dinner plans with Oprah and Gayle. Take care."

Alex just nodded and let out the breath she had been holding. Cat Grant was absolutely terrifying up close. How did Kara deal with that on a daily basis? She would take rogue aliens over Cat Grant any day.

"Oh, and Alexa?" Cat turned around on her heel one last time. "I have taken care of everything. The hospital is going to bill me when you are discharged."

"Uh, what? What do you mean?"

"Don't make me say it, Alexa," Cat said in irritation. "Fine, if you insist. I am going to cover your medical costs, okay?"

"Ms. Grant, no. You don't have to," Alex began to argue, trying her best to sit up without waking Kara or causing herself pain. "I have insurance for a reason."

"Nonsense," Cat said, holding her hand up for Alex to stop talking. "An hour's worth of my salary is what you probably make in a year working for the government. Let me take care of it. I need good karma anyway."

"I don't know what to say."

Cat nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Now tell Kiera I'll see her Monday. If she even looks at an e-mail, she's fired and I will make it so she can't file for unemployment or work in this town again. Got it?"

Alex nodded. "Got it."

"Don't thank me again, Alexa," Cat pleaded, rolling her eyes. "We're not friends. We'll never be friends. But you _can_ do me one thing."

"Okay?"

"Is your boss…what's his name? Agent Monroe?" Cat began, slightly embarrassed that she would ever stoop this low. "Is he single?"

Alex had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing. "I, I don't actually know."

"Oh, forget it," Cat snapped. "I'm not that desperate. My name's not Lois Lane." She crossed the threshold of the hospital room and stood in the hallway. "Take care, Alexa."

Alex waved, still trying to wrap her head around everything. She peered down at her sleeping sister and brushed the hair out of her face, biting back a sigh when Kara stirred and jolted up in confusion.

"Kara!" Alex groaned as Kara accidentally hit her side. "Watch it."

Kara immediately gasped and covered her mouth. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," she apologized repeatedly. "I didn't mean to."

Alex bit her lip when the dull pain subsided and put her hand on her sister's shoulder. "I'm fine. Just be careful, okay, Supergirl?"

"Kay," Kara whimpered as she looked down at her hands. "I _swear_ I heard Ms. Grant's voice. And normally when I hear her voice in my sleep, I wake up screaming."

"She was here," Alex chuckled. "For like ten minutes to see how I was doing."

"What do you think she wants?" Kara asked skeptically. "I feel like she's going to make me owe her something for all of this."

"I don't think so."

"No, I think so!" Kara countered, frantically shaking her head. "She's going to…she's going to make me her _bitch_ , Alex!"

Alex rolled her eyes because even after all these years, Kara still whispered every swear word and then immediately turned red. "You're already her bitch, Kara."

"Am not!" Kara gasped in offense.

"You are," Alex said matter-of-factly.

Kara frowned after a minute of letting Alex's accusation sink in. "I am. I totally am."

"You should probably go home, Kara," Alex whispered. Her pain medicine was wearing off and she wouldn't be able to get a good night's sleep with Kara thrashing in the small bed next to her. "Get some sleep."

"No! I'm staying here," Kara declared.

"No. They're not going to let you stay," Alex laughed, reaching over to grab Kara's hands and hold them in her own. "Plus the hot nurse has to wake me up every few hours to check on things. You won't get any sleep and you'll be a grumpy alien in the morning."

"No I won't," Kara argued before she pout on her puppy dog eyes.

Alex knew she had to resort to bribing her twenty-something-year-old sister. "I'll tell you what, if you go home now, you can stay at my apartment and we can order Chinese food and watch whatever you want for the next four days, okay?"

"Okay!" That's all it took for Kara to be happy again. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Yes, Eliza," Alex teased, giving Kara the best hug she could muster without hurting herself. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Kara nodded and quickly kissed Alex's forehead before rolling out of bed. "Do you need anything before I go?"

"No. Just go."

"Are you sure? Because I can-"

"Kara!"

Kara winced and tiptoed to the door. "Okay, bye," she whispered to her sister, giving her the once over one last time to truly make sure Alex was okay.

Cat Grant was the person she least expected to be lingering near the nurse's station. It looked like she was fighting with someone per usual.

"Ms. Grant?" Kara asked delicately, unaware of how her boss was going to react. She couldn't quite make out exactly what Cat was saying.

Cat whipped around and stared at her assistant. "Kiera," she mumbled, looking the girl up and down. "Nice jammies."

"T-thanks," Kara snorted awkwardly, hugging her arms tight to her chest in utter embarrassment. "I, I have to do laundry. You know…I have adult pajamas. I do."

"Right," Cat replied, her eyes never leaving the forms in her hands. "I suppose your sister opened her big mouth and told you what I did."

"No? Alex just said you came to see how she was doing."

"Alright, Kiera, stop your begging. I'll tell you."

"Oh, I'm not-"

"I'm paying for Alexa's medical bills," Cat said with a beaming smile, as if she were accepting a prestigious journalism award at some fancy Hollywood auditorium.

Kara's eyes widened. "You're what?!"

"Honestly, Kiera, your hearing. Get it checked," Cat snapped. "I'm paying for your sister's medical bills because surely she can't afford to rub two pennies together with her crappy government job."

"Ms. Grant," Kara put her hand over her chest, getting weepy. "You, you don't have to do that! Alex has insurance…the government will pay for her surgery."

"Nonsense. Plus, I need the good press. So on Monday _you_ are going to send in a letter thanking me for helping out your poor sister. Got it? Then, you're going to personally hand deliver it to Lois Lane and we are going to live stream her reaction."

Kara could only laugh nervously. "Right."

"I'm serious, Kiera."

"Would it be inappropriate to hug you, Ms. Grant?"

Cat slipped on her sunglasses and stepped away from Kara. "Yes," she snapped. "If you're done making things awkward, I'm off to have dinner with Oprah and Gayle."

Kara awkwardly trailed behind her boss seeing as they were both leaving out the side door of the hospital. "Ms. Grant?"

"What?" Cat asked in annoyance. "What do you need, Kiera? Bus money?"

"No!" Kara quickly yelped. "No. I just want to say thank you. For everything," she added in shyly, staring at her feet. "It meant a lot that you…stayed with me."

"It's fine," Cat said simply, waiting for Raul to round the corner with her limo. "I suppose you need a ride home. Get in."

Kara went to protest but shut her mouth when Cat stomped her foot. She climbed in the far side of the limo and excitedly tugged on her seat belt. It was a far cry from their drive merely ten hours ago.

"Kiera?"

"Yes, Ms. Grant?"

Cat didn't look up from the scathing e-mail she began writing about Lois Lane. "Burn those god awful pajamas when you get home."


End file.
